True Crime Books

Kenneth McDuff is probably the only murderer to be sentenced to death twice...in two decades! It cost at least four women their lives when McDuff was paroled in 1989.

Learn the harrowing tale of how a serial killer was released after his death sentence was commuted and later he was paroled.
He wasn't charged with his first known rape and murder of a teen girl due to sloppy prosecution and faulty paperwork.

He routinely violated his parole and probation conditions,sometimes within mere minutes after appearing in court! Mr. Lavergne aptly states that McDuff had "no moral compass." He wasn't an intelligent individual,he was aided by luck and mysterious assistance in leaving Texas after his murders. His neurotic mother regularly enabled him with financial support throughout his life.

There a few mysteries left unexplained, the chief being the identity of the CI that coaxed McDuff into helping to locate the burial sites of his victims while on death row.

Gary Lavergne has done his research and written in detail the chilling actions of a serial killer that got to continue killing long after he should have been executed.

Being a true crime buff and former resident of Texas, I was really excited to read this book... When I finally recieved it and began to read it, I was truly disappointed. It is very poorly written and hard to follow. I normally read a book in 1 to 2 days and it has taken me 5 days to read this one. I do not recommend wasting time or money on this particular book.

I really don't understand the positive reviews of this book. It is poorly-written and amateurish, and the story-telling is not at all compelling. I would read 20-page blocks of this book and then forget about it for a month. The description of people and events is extremely thin, and it's obvious that little research was put into it. That might be forgivable if, as I said, the writing wasn't of such low quality. Compare this to a classic true-crime book like The Executioner's Song, and it's like a clinic for whoever wrote this book.

Disturbing. I'd watched a documentary about the "broomstick killer" and was curious about what made him tick. The book reveals what was behind the creep's actions. And that was really nothing, just a vicious, vacant man devoid of any pity or feelings. Written in a factual, chilling manner. Me thinks I learned a bit too much about this mad man.

This book reviews the history of Kenneth Allen McDuff... the only serial killer in Texas history, perhaps the entire world, to be sentenced to death, paroled, and then sentenced to death a second time. There can be no doubt that this book is impeccably researched and well written. The author certainly did his homework. While the story itself is inherently interesting, I do have some reservations about recommending this to the masses of True Crime fans.

1. After being paroled from Death Row, McDuff manages to associate himself with numerous nefarious characters and many law enforcement officials from various cities and agencies. Given that McDuff had no real friends and prefered to surround himself with others to whom he felt superior and whom he could manipulate, the many criminal acquaintances and law enforcement officers mentioned becomes rather confusing near the middle of the book. A glossary of persons for quick reference would have been helpful and would have lessened the confusion.

2. Given that the book covers a span of time nearing 30 years, a timeline of some sort would also have been useful to the reader. (Oddly, one of the final chapters reveals that during the trial, the prosecuting attorneys actually made a timeline for jurors. It is unfortunate that readers were not afforded the same privilege.)

3. The ending of the book is rather anticlimactic. True, the reader knows from the get go that McDuff is eventually executed. However, a final chapter about the criminal mind behind McDuff's murderous activities might have given the book a more "finished" appearance and feeling.

The final line of the book reads: "To the very end, he (McDuff) considered himself misunderstood, oppressed, and the victim." I believe this last sentence could have the been the first sentence to a final, closing chapter exploring those elements that may have contributed to McDuff's sociopathy and vicious personality. McDuff was not one to speak to authorities or mental health professionals about his upbringing and, even if he had, most of it probably would have been lacking in insight or filled with half-truths and lies. That being said, given that the author does include comments and insight from many who knew McDuff, intelligent conjecture about the criminal McDuff became would have been possible. Instead, the book simply ends in tepid disappointment.

I've enjoyed reading just about anything written by Vincent Bugliosi, and "Helter Skelter" is certainly no exception. Within these pages, Mr. Bugliosi paints an excruciatingly-detailed account of this unique and compelling murder case. You're able to almost get inside Vince's head and see up close how he successfully prosecuted this famous Hollywood case.

Hollywood seemed to be a fitting backdrop for the Manson trial too, because the whole case sounds like something directly from a screenwriter's notebook instead of a real-life tragedy. I guess that's what made the case and the trial so compelling -- it sounds too freaky to be real. I mean, lyrics from a "Beatles" record album becoming a major focus at the trial??

And the tremendous overkill tactics employed by the killers, as they obey their "master" with zombie-like precision. Just simply unbelievable! And yet it happened just the same.

"Helter Skelter: The True Story Of The Manson Murders", originally published in 1974, is "the #1 best-selling true-crime book in publishing history" (per the blurb printed on the cover of the 528-page "25th Anniversary Edition" of the book that I own, which came out in 1994 via W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.).

That '94 "Anniversary" edition is highly recommended by this reviewer due to its original 1974 content plus the inclusion of a new 26-page "Afterword" by author Vince Bugliosi, which was written in June 1994.

"Helter Skelter" tells the fascinatingly-bizarre tale of how a crazy man by the name of Charles Milles Manson ordered several of his seemingly-brainwashed followers (aka "The Family") to arm themselves with knives, ropes, and a gun and break into two Los Angeles-area homes on two consecutive nights in early August of 1969.

Manson's additional orders to his robot-like "family" members were to "kill everyone" who happened to be in those two houses. It didn't make any difference who they were or how many were there -- everyone in those two homes was to die, simply because Charles Manson wanted them to die.

At the end of those two senseless evenings of murder and mayhem, seven innocent people (who had never even met Charles Milles Manson) were brutally slaughtered. The seven vicious killings, known collectively thereafter as the "Tate-LaBianca Murders" or "The Manson Murders", sent Hollywood into a panic for many weeks afterward.

Three months after the killings, 35-year-old Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Vincent T. Bugliosi was assigned as the lead prosecutor for the State of California in the case against Manson and three of his "family" members (Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten).

Charlie Manson, himself, initially wanted to serve as his own attorney at his murder trial. Manson finally relented, however, and hired Irving Kanarek as his main attorney. Per Vince Bugliosi's comments in this book, Kanarek could easily have been identified by another name -- "Mr. Obfuscation" -- due to his continual frivolous objections and delay tactics utilized in the courtroom.

Kanarek, as pointed out in this volume, is a lawyer who once took 1.5 years on jury selection and pre-trial motions during a case where he ended up being fired by his client before the first witness was even called to the stand.

I took note of a laugh-out-loud passage placed in the book by Mr. Bugliosi regarding Mr. Kanarek -- "Kanarek once objected to a prosecution witness's stating his own name because, having first heard his name from his mother, it was 'hearsay'."

Mr. Bugliosi, even within the grim subject matter that the reader encounters in a book like "Helter Skelter", which revolves around seven grisly murders, has the ability to interject a little bit of humor into his publications as well -- with the above Kanarek example probably being the best such instance of humor that I found in this book.

Turning an about-face now from that humorous anecdote mentioned above to the more serious nature of "Helter Skelter" --- As a result of Charles Manson's warped mind, these seven people died in August 1969 in California:

1.) Sharon Tate-Polanski (age 26). .... Sharon was eight-months pregnant when she was stabbed 16 times in the early morning hours of August 9, 1969. It's always been my personal belief that Sharon's killers should have been charged with eight total murders, instead of just seven....with #8 being the murder of the soon-to-be-born baby inside the womb of Mrs. Polanski.

2.) Abigail Folger (age 25). .... "Gibby", as she was affectionately known, was stabbed 28 times.

3.) Voytek Frykowski (age 32). .... Mr. Frykowski suffered the most wounds at the hands of Manson's relentless inhuman killing machines -- being stabbed a total of 51 times, shot twice, and repeatedly beaten over the head 13 times with a blunt object. The savagery of it is still mind-boggling today.

4.) Jay Sebring (age 35). .... Jay was shot once with Manson's very own "Buntline" revolver and received seven knife wounds.

5.) Steven Parent (age 18). .... Steven was the first to die at 10050 Cielo Drive in Hollywood's Benedict Canyon. The teenager was shot four times in his car as he was trying to leave the Tate property.

6.) Leno LaBianca (age 44). .... After Charlie Manson had personally tied up Mr. and Mrs. LaBianca with rope inside their home at 3301 Waverly Drive in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles, Manson sent his murderous monsters into the LaBianca house to kill them both. Leno was stabbed 12 times with a knife and was stabbed another 7 times with a fork. A knife was found lodged in Mr. LaBianca's throat, and the word "war" had been physically carved into Leno's stomach by his bloodthirsty murderers, while the double-tined fork used to create that word in the flesh of the victim was left protruding from Mr. LaBianca's abdomen following the grisly act.

7.) Rosemary LaBianca (age 38). .... Mrs. LaBianca was stabbed with a knife a total of 41 separate times. Both of the LaBiancas were found with pillowcases over their heads.

----------------------

RELATED "MANSON" TOPICS:

Mr. Bugliosi's best-selling book "Helter Skelter" has also been made into two television movies, produced in 1976 and 2004 (both of which have been made available on DVD; links below).

I highly recommend each of those film adaptions of "Skelter" too, with the original 1976 movie (starring George DiCenzo as Vincent Bugliosi and Steve Railsback as Charles Manson) being my favorite of the two versions.

Unlike the first film, the 2004 remake concentrates less on the actual court trial, spending more time on the activities of Manson and "Family" in the weeks and months leading up to the morbid events of August '69.

Both versions are worthy additions to the DVD-Video library, in my opinion. Mr. Bugliosi himself is credited as one of the three "Executive Producers" of the 2004 movie.

----------------------

I often wonder what would have happened if Charlie Manson and Family had heard the words "Not Guilty" when the verdict was announced in Los Angeles on January 25, 1971. Thankfully, though, they did not hear those two words spoken by the court clerk that day, due in great part to Mr. Bugliosi's fine work in piecing together the potential (albeit crazy-sounding) motive for the Tate-LaBianca murders.

But if Manson and his faithful gang of unfeeling killers had walked out of court free and clear, I wonder if other innocent people might have ended up like Sharon and Jay and Voytek, et al. It's a chilling thought....to be sure.

I'm just glad Mr. Bugliosi was ultimately successful in his prosecutorial efforts, and got the killers off the streets and behind bars where each of them belongs.

Anyone who reads the disturbing and chilling first chapter of "Helter Skelter" will no doubt want to keep turning these pages till the end.

David Von Pein
January 2006
March 2008

There's a lot to love in this sumptous serving of conartistry and viliany. Lovers of "Gangs of New York" and "Catch Me if You Can" will find pieces by Herbert Asbury (author of Gangs) and Frank Abaganale (author of Catch me); lovers of 19th century lit will find the Russian and French masters; and lovers of the down and dirty will dig the pieces by David mamet, Nick Ppileggi. JOhn Ridley and Nick Tosches. Mr Geno Zanetti does it again!

This baroque , shady and very entertaining book is an epic tour of the gilded and subterrean world of con men, hustlers and gamblers. What surprised me about this book is despite the narcissism and aggression of many of the characters portrayed here, they (and the book) have a artistic and poetic pedigree too. A lot of great writers are in this book --Borges, Baudelaire, Dostoevsky, Luc Sante, Runyon, Brecht, Saul Bellow, Nick Pilegg,i. Hunter Thompson, David Mamet, Nick Tosches and Martin Amis. BUt for my money, the gem or the jewel in the crown is John Molyneux's mini-memoir of gambling in London in the sixties, which, apparently, is a piece written especially for the book.

I enjoyed the story immensely but found the first half of the book before Lee Chagra was killed more interesting than the second half of the book which delved into his brothers' subsequent life of greed and excess. The book was a bit long and I found myself skimming over an excess of detail about Jimmy Chagra's life. There are lots of lessons in this book. A must read in my opinion.

The true story of the Chagra brothers drug smuggling empire and high rolling gambling is an American classic. It is so engrossing that if you read the first page you will be hooked! ElPaso, Las Vegas, the murder of a powerful federal judge, sex, drugs, movie stars, gambling for extremely high stakes ... it has everything.

I've read a lot of true crime books and the best ones take the reader through the mystery and ultimate solving of the crime in question.

Most authors of true crime books realize that they are dealing with criminals, police, and prosecutors and they walk a fine line in trying to tell a story of a crime that has in some unique way become interesting enough to the general public to warrant a book being written.

The author of this book, while going through the facts of these criminals lives and their crimes, from the first page on, glorifies these criminals and their murders and lifestyles. The facts of the crime(s) are secondary in this book to presenting these criminals as heroes because they have used the vast amounts of drug money to become vastly richer then they otherwise would ever become.

In every single page of this book the criminals get the "good" adjectives describing these dope dealers and murderers as "robin hood" types and the judges and the prosecutors get the uncomplimentary words to describe them.

According to the way this author portrays the people who murder and bring drugs into our society they are the good guys and the people who try to put them in prison, to keep them away from our society and children, are the bumbling fools always making mistakes and letting the "good guy criminals" go free.

This author has a chance to present a more fair-sided book but instead opted to glorify the criminals and their drug crimes.

If you don't believe what I say about this author idolizing the dope dealing criminals and murderers, then buy this book and read the first 50 pages.

But don't waste your money and time and pay over 50 cents for it.

Like a Greek tragedy, the victims or players as some readers might want to call them, had no way out. All of them, good, bad, rich or poor, got entangled in a spiders' web of which they would never be able to get out.

To some of us, money is the source of all evil. To others money is a commodity, a need, a necessity. The more we have, the more we want, and the more we want, the deeper we get into the quagmire of bad and possibly even evil.

The author, Gary Cartwright, of "Dirty Dealings" does not aim a literary (literally speaking) shotgun at anyone in particular. He points the literary shotgun at everyone. Above all, he does not discriminate concerning the victims or players in the story. He tells it as it is; as it was; as it happened.

The arrogance and dictatorship of many leaves the reader with fear, dread, and apprehension due to the fact that those who were supposed to uphold the honest, honorable pillars of good and justice were just as bad as those they considered the bad seeds of a society. For sure, two wrong's can never make a right, and likewise, two right's can never make a wrong.

Mr. Gary Cartwright not only tells it like it was, but gives the reader an excellent background on the history and culture of city where the injustices by many---good, bad and evil-- took place.

I highly recommend for everyone, regardless of his or her stature in life, to read this book.

The early history of El Paso (my birthplace) was very interesting to me. My family and I moved overseas when I was 4 years old, so I didn't have much opportunity to know about my home town. To make a long story short,I discovered when I was 27 yrs. old that my "Dad" was not my natural father. I was informed of this books existence in 2003 by a maternal Aunt. Upon reading it, when I turned to page 200 my jaw dropped. The resemblance I share with the picture of Joe Chagra was uncanny. My children had the same reaction. Because of the time line the possibility of Joe being my natural father is not realistic. The book made reference to Lee being a womanizer before he was married, and after. Upon receiving a picture of Lee's oldest daughter many months later (we're about the same age) and the strong resemblance to one another, some of my uncertainties regarding my parentage have been dispelled. I may never know the truth about my natural father, short of DNA testing, so this is as close as I may come. If not for your book Mr. Cartwright, I would probably still be at square one. My mother, also a native El Pasoan, refused to divulge any information to me, hence the almost 18 year seperation, not only for this reason. I hear that Jimmy was reunited with a daughter he never knew about while in prison, but alas it wasn't me. I'll bet she's slim, attractive, with creamy-coffee colored skin though.

After searching long and hard for a quality edition of the Upanishads, I found this little abridgement to be the best of its kind. The ten texts that make up this selection, are, as advertised, the most consequential for Hindu philosophy, and the hardcover volume itself is quite handsome, and comes complete with a ribbon bookmark. Highly recommended.

I was looking forward to reading this book after watching a fascinating account of the case on CourtTV's "The Investigators." Sadly, Carlton Smith's account of the Larry McNabney murder is a real disappointment. CourtTV focused on Deborah Scheffel, the detective who broke the case; Smith builds his narrative around the misadventures of Elisa, Larry, and Sarah Dutra and makes the detectives minor players. Due to an apparent lack of information, Smith resorts to filling page after page with speculation and guesswork about what might have happened between these three bizarre characters. The story -- at least as Smith presents it -- has no tension or momentum at all. In the last third of the book, dealing with the events after Sarah's arrest, Smith simply quotes huge chunks of police interview transcripts in which Sarah babbles away in a self-serving manner. The whole book feels inadequately researched and lazily written.

One other thing: the back cover promises "8 pages of alarming photographs." That's probably the biggest exaggeration I've ever seen on a true crime book. Yes, there are eight pages of photos, but they are about as "alarming" as watching ice melt.

If you are used to the quality of Ann Rule, you will be deeply disappointed. Smith often has not researched the history and will generously use phrases such as "this area is a little murky" or "not much is known about this time period" etc. Very frustrating. Also the time line is very confusing.
Not impressed.

This book was just okay. The storyline is excellent for true crime, but the author's presentation is bland. I had a constant feeling of "the book is gonna get really good now", and while it is good, it never drew me in to where I couldn't put it down.

Reviewer Jim Greenhill's analogy with the Coen brothers Blood Simple, a modern film noir was excellent. The thing great about this is that it's real. Much sadness and heartbreak but I thought this was a very well written book and I've read a lot of true crime. I firmly believe the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction," and this is once again confirmation on that point. The book and characters are unbelivable and twisted but most are frighteningly unaware that they are so. Even the main character is a person who seems driven to do what she does. It brings questions to mind about hereditary factors, brain chemistry or maybe the idea that there may or may not be good and evil

Typically I am not much of a Carlton Smith true crime fan; however, I found Cold Blooded to be a tremendous piece of writing for the true crime genre. Most often writers are prone to present a bit of background, followed or preceeded by the known details of the crime and then the remainder of the book is generally the trial and sentencing of the accused; and, more often than not, is written almost word for word from trial transcripts.

Not so in Cold Blooded! There is NEVER a dull moment in this book! The life and doings of Laren (aka Elisa) Jordan/McNabeney is better than any beauty salon gossip any day! And Carlton Smith details these events in a fast paced, attention gripping style that makes putting this book down difficult!

Highly, highly recommended for true crime fans!

Well, let's see....I bought this book in the hopes of learning about some type of connection with the P.I.R.A and the Southie Irish "mob". First, I had to get through the first ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE PAGES which had to do with Mr. Nee's life prior to his involvement.

If you couple that with the forty or so pages that dealt with the actual boat trip, which Mr. Nee wasn't even privy to, then you have about TWENTY pages actually dealing with the topic of "The Inside Story of the Boston Mob-IRA Connection".

Listen, Mr. Nee, I understand you not wanting to tell the "whole" story about what you did as I'm sure the statute of limitations hasn't run out. But don't spout off about some huge connection between the Irish "mob" and the P.I.R.A if you don't have much to say. You wrote more about Jimmy Bulger than you did about anything else!

The only saving grace of the book was that you felt like you were bellied up to the bar in some run down gin mill swapping stories with ole' Patty himself. It's an easy read, completed it in a night, but only pick it up if you're interested in one-sided war stories about criminals who victimized Southie.

A Criminal and an Irishman is a terrific read, particularly for anyone interested in American connections to the defiance of British rule and oppression in Northern Ireland. Highly informative and entertaining, the novel also provides a great deal of excitement in its recounting of its anti-hero's adventures as a criminal and a gun runner for Irish freedom fighters. Pleasantly, it avoids glorifying crime, yet it does provide insight into why Pat Nee made the choices he did, as both a criminal and an Irishman. Further, it provides facts too often ignored in the US press about Britain's continuing atrocities against Nationalists and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Anyone who wants to know the truth about what goes on in that enemy-occupied country would do well to read this book.

This is the best book in its class. Nee is everything that Mac, Weeks, Shea aren't. He is truthful and honest. Nee's story puts it all into perspective and negates all the other fiction. Nee's story is the one that you want to hear about. Recounting the events of his life, that he remembers. The South Boston gang war chapter is outstanding, and the valhalla chapter is almost a "how to smuggle" for those of you interested. Nee's story is both moving and compelling, with his sentiment towards his brother and his belief in the IRA as opressed people. Nee's image of Whitey Bulger is outstanding. This is a definite good read. buy it.

This is a solidly wriiten book on criminal activity in Boston and arms smuggling to Ireland. The author pulls no punches about what he did and offers no apologies to the lifestyle he choose. You can either love or hate him but he seems to be a respectable guy from this book. The co-authors do a pretty good job putting his voice into a readable manner.

I had high hopes for this one, in light of the pros working with Nee. It just seemed to degenerate into a political polemic, however, about half way through; almost like two mini-books with stange pacing by the editor. Without trying to, I found myself mentally substituting "Al Qaeda" for IRA, trying unsuccessfully to differentiate in my mind why these guys were substantially different from middle eastern "freedom fighters". Left unexamined was the tragic way his family started him on his path in life, making him a really angry guy in general. Despite service in the USMC, he doesn't refer to himself as an American throughout most of the book. I really wish I could have liked this one more but I know plenty of guys like Nee who made better life choices.

This book has helped me allot in regards to a project I am working on. When one recognizes the significance between Jack the Ripper and the media, and it's part in ascending him from serial killer to Victorian icon, it is impossible to ignore this book. I highly recommend it.

The book really is more about the context than the case itself, but Begg present solid research and writes very well. In terms of presenting the conditions of 1888 Whitechapel, it is probably the best book out there. For a history strictly of the JtR case, Sugden would be the way to go. However, Begg's new book, "Jack the Ripper: The Facts" (only available at amazon.co.uk now), which contains much of the research done in the past ten years, would be definitely worth getting from there. Still, this book is worth it for the Ripperologist.

I had to read this took for a Collage Class and have never enjoyed reading a "textbook" more.

Paul Begg is a very entertaining author and gave alot of details concerning the Jack the Ripper Murders.

At first he tells about the area of London called Whitechappel where it happened and then he talks about the Ripper Murders themselves.

Not only does he give much detail about the Ripper Murders he talks about the Police investigation about it, as well as goes into detail about some of the people that historians and investigaters have claimed were Jack the Ripper.

All in all a very comprehensive acount of the Jack the Ripper Murder case.